New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a settlement with Bronx landlord Parkchester Preservation Management, LLC (Parkchester Management) for illegally denying housing to prospective tenants based on housing court records with prior landlords and for sending denial letters to applicants indicating that housing court records had been reviewed as part of the decision to reject their applications. The agreement continues Attorney General James’ efforts to protect New York tenants by cracking down on a practice known as “tenant blacklisting,” where landlords use housing court records as a basis to deny a potential tenant’s rental application. Tenant blacklisting was made illegal in 2019 following changes to the Real Property Law, which outlawed efforts to deny housing to renters with a history of landlord-tenant court cases.
“Every New Yorker deserves a fair chance at finding safe, affordable, and stable housing without being denied based on outdated or irrelevant information,” said Attorney General James. “Using housing court records as a basis to deny housing is discriminatory and against the law. My office will continue to fight back against these unfair practices and stop landlords from illegally rejecting prospective tenants.”
“I want to thank Attorney General Letitia James for acting swiftly to hold Parkchester Preservation Management, LLC accountable,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “At a time when our city is facing a housing crisis, it is imperative that we hold landlords accountable when they engage in discriminatory practices against prospective tenants.”…